New Tavern Fort

En un regard

Le château en bref

New Tavern Fort is an artillery fort on the south bank of the Thames at Gravesend, Kent, just east of the pier. Built around 1780–1783 amid fears of a French invasion, it crossed its fire with Tilbury Fort on the opposite bank to bar the way up the river to London. The site illustrates the evolution of British coastal defence with exceptional completeness: 18th-century earth ramparts and embrasures, brick platforms of 1868–1872 for ten heavy guns, then a concrete battery of 1904–1905 for two 6-inch guns. A gun from each period is on display. The fort also encloses Milton Chantry, a stone chapel dating from around 1300 that became a tavern before being incorporated into the works, hence the fort's name. Disarmed in the late 1930s, the site belongs to Gravesham Borough Council and forms the Fort Gardens, a public garden open all year round. The restored underground magazines can be visited at certain times, and the fort marks the start of the Crossfire Trail to Tilbury.